Interior Undersecretary: Foreign militant behind van explosion

Yahoo! News UK reports: “A foreign militant was behind a powerful van blast that targeted a big public gathering in the southern Philippines but failed after the vehicle stalled and instead killed the suspect and 10 others, an official said Thursday. Interior Undersecretary Eduardo Ano said there is no conclusive evidence the Islamic State group plotted the suicide bombing. The extremist group, however, could benefit by claiming responsibility to project strength and gain new recruits, he said. The Islamic State group has claimed credit for the attack, saying the attacker was a Moroccan. However, it erroneously cited a much higher military death toll in the July 31 blast. All information and forensic data showed the suspected bomber was a foreigner, said Ano, a former military chief who now oversees the national police, which is investigating the explosion in the outskirts of Lamitan city in Basilan province.”